Applications for funds from the national disaster fund

The following is the procedure for the submission of applications for funds to provide relief in disaster situations. The applicants must be recognized bodies within the UnitingChurch.

Applications must be in writing, addressed to the Secretary of the Fund, Ms Jenny Bertalan. Applications may be submitted by email address to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or by mail to the National Disaster Fund, Uniting Church Assembly P.O. Box A2266 Sydney South, NSW, 1235. The telephone number for inquiries is (02) 8267 4202.

The application should provide adequate details concerning:-

• the disaster and the affect on individuals, community and region,
• the project of relief proposed to meet the needs, and the personnel and organizations involved,
• the finances needed and the purposes that it is to achieve (the budget), and in what manner the funds will be managed (for example control of funds, who will receive the money, etc),
• confirmation that the relevant Councils of the Church or authorities in Agencies involved have been given.
• Name and contact details of the person making the application

The Committee seeks to provide a simple and non bureaucratic process that can respond in a timely manner to requests for support.

The Management Committee is to be provided with a report following the conclusion of the project detailing how funds were spent and what was achieved. Where the project is over an extended period of time the committee may also require one or more interim reports.

It is important to emphasize that the funds provided for disaster relief must be available to those in need without restriction or favour. They should be used strictly in priority of need. Also note that funds can be made available for the Church to work in partnership with other community organizations as this can sometimes provide the most effective response. A project could also be to donate funds to such other organizations, where they are in a better position than the Church to carry out necessary relief work, but need additional funds to achieve it.  

Prior to the formulation of any recovery program wide consultation within the community is essential to ensure that a satisfactory level of knowledge and understanding underlies the proposal.  This will also avoid such issues as cutting across existing community processes, or duplication of effort. It can also be the means of matching needs with existing Federal, State and Local Government assistance schemes, for which church funds should not be needed.